Awakening our Democracy: One Nation Under Politics - SUGGESTED READINGS

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, The Office of University Life hosts  AWAKENING OUR DEMOCRACY, Columbia's lunchtime conversation series on race, ethnicity, disparities and justice – with a stellar panel discussing the impact of a dominant two-party system on our country and communities, “One Nation Under Politics.” You can view a recording of the event here. Their suggested readings and topical music selections follow.

From Columbia Journalism School Faculty Member and New Yorker Staff Writer Jelani Cobb (@Jelani9):

• The Model for Donald Trump's Media Relations is Joseph McCarthy - Jelani Cobb
• Parliament - "Chocolate City"
• Parliament - "Up for the Down Stroke"

From Senior Political Reporter for the Center for Public Integrity Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal)

• The Center for Public Integrity -   A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit news organization that investigates money and influence in federal politics.
• OpenSecrets.org
• FiveThirtyEight
• Florence + The Machine - "Cosmic Love"
• Pras featuring Mya and Old Dirty Bastard - "Ghetto Superstar"
• Rachmaninov - "Piano Concerto No. 2"

From Co-Founder of MPower Change and Executive Director of the Arab American Association of NY  Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour)

• A Muslim Woman Was Set on Fire in New York. Now Just Going Out Requires Courage - Linda Sarsour
• New CAIR, UC Berkeley Report Reveals Funding, Negative Impact of Islamophobic Groups in America - CAIR
• John Legend, Common - "Glory"
• Sam Cooke - "A Change is Gonna Come"

From Former Chair of the Department of Political Science at Columbia University and Prof. of Government at Wallace S. Sayre Robert Y. Shapiro

• Political Polarization in the American Public - Pew Research Center
• Do the Facts Speak for Themselves? Partisan Disagreement as a Challenge to Democratic Competence - Robert Y. Shapiro & Yaeli Bloch-Elkon
• Peter, Paul, and Mary - "Blowing in the Wind"
• Peter Seeger - "We Shall Overcome"

A sampling of questions from our registered guests:

• Are political parties still relevant and can the current two dominant parties evolve to reflect the growing, nationwide anti-establishment sentiment? 
• What are the pros and cons of a third party and how can a third party rise?
• How can we prevent unqualified people from becoming presidential nominees? 
• Would ranked voting help encourage voters who are disenchanted with what they believe to be a corrupt electoral system?
• What should politicians and lawmakers do - and what can average citizens do - to improve the futures of historically disenfranchised, socioeconomically disadvantaged, minority communities?
• How will each presidential candidate’s policies impact black/Hispanic communities?
• How can we stay motivated and hopeful when it’s likely we won’t see justice in our lifetimes?